diff --git a/lexicalStructure.lex b/lexicalStructure.lex
index e658e4d..14b8616 100644
--- a/lexicalStructure.lex
+++ b/lexicalStructure.lex
@@ -3,78 +3,70 @@
 /* definitions */
 
 %option noyywrap
-
-%{ 
-#include "typedefs.h" 
+%{
+#include "typedefs.h"
+int line_number = 1, column_number = 1;
 %}
-        int line_number = 1, column_number = 1;
 
+COM ([^*]|\*+[^)*])*
+ID [A-Za-z_][0-9A-Za-z_]*
 DIGIT [0-9]
 CHAR \\n|\\t|\\'|[^'\n\t\\]
 	/* char can be a newline, tab, an escaped quote, or anything but a single quote, an actual line break, an actual tab, or a backslash by itself (to prevent confusion from escaped quote */
 SCHAR \\n|\\t|\\\"|[^\"\n\\]  
-	/*similar to above, a string Char (SCHAR) is the same as a CHAR except we cannot have double quotes instead of single quotes. Double quotes need to be escaped in Flex unlike single quotes based on documentation */
-STARTCOM \(\*
-ENDCOM \*\)
-COMMENTCHAR [^\*]|\*[^\)]
-	/*Making the contents of a comment anything that is either not a * or not a * followed by ) to terminate comments at the first ENDCOM */
-%%
-
-
-\n      line_number++ column_number = 1;
-.       column_number++;
-
-"integer"       {return T_INTEGER}
-"address"       {return T_ADDRESS}
-"Boolean"       {return T_BOOLEAN}
-"character"     {return T_CHARACTER}
-
-
-	/* rules */
-{DIGIT}+ {printf( "C_INTEGER: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );}
-
-"null" {printf( "C_NULL: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );}
-
-"while"         {return WHILE}
-"if"            {return IF}
-"then"          {return THEN}
-"else"          {return ELSE}
-"type"          {return TYPE}
-"function"      {return FUNCTION}
-"return"        {return RETURN}
-"external"      {return EXTERNAL}
-"as"            {return AS}
-
-'{CHAR}' {printf( "C_CHARACTER: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );} /*using double \ per documentation to show escaped chars*/
-
-"true" {printf( "C_TRUE: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );}
-
-
-"false" {printf( "C_FALSE: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );}
-
-	/* OPERATORS */
-
-"+"		{return ADD;}
-"-"		{return SUB_OR_NEG;}
-"*"		{return  MUL;}
-"/"		{return DIV;}
-"%"		{return REM;}
-"<"		{return LESS_THAN;}
-"="		{return EQUAL_TO;}
-":="		{return ASSIGN;}
-"!"		{return NOT;}
-"&"		{return AND;}
-"|"		{return OR;}
-"."		{return DOT;}
-"reserve"	{return RESERVE;}
-"release" 	{return RELEASE;}
- 
-
-\"{SCHAR}*\" {printf( "C_STRING: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );}
-
-\(\*{COMMENTCHAR}*\*\) {printf( "COMMENT: %s (%d)\n", yytext, atoi( yytext ) );}
-
-.|\n  
-
+	/* similar to above, a string Char (SCHAR) is the same as a CHAR except we cannot have double quotes instead of single quotes. Double quotes need to be escaped in Flex unlike single quotes based on documentation */
 
 %%
+
+"integer"       {return T_INTEGER;}
+"address"       {return T_ADDRESS;}
+"Boolean"       {return T_BOOLEAN;}
+"character"     {return T_CHARACTER;}
+
+{DIGIT}+        {return C_INTEGER;}
+"null"          {return C_NULL;}
+
+"while"         {return WHILE;}
+"if"            {return IF;}
+"then"          {return THEN;}
+"else"          {return ELSE;}
+"type"          {return TYPE;}
+"function"      {return FUNCTION;}
+"return"        {return RETURN;}
+"external"      {return EXTERNAL;}
+"as"            {return AS;}
+
+'{CHAR}'        {return C_CHARACTER;}
+"true"          {return C_TRUE;}
+"false"         {return C_FALSE;}
+
+"+"		        {return ADD;}
+"-"		        {return SUB_OR_NEG;}
+"*"		        {return  MUL;}
+"/"		        {return DIV;}
+"%"		        {return REM;}
+"<"		        {return LESS_THAN;}
+"="		        {return EQUAL_TO;}
+":="		    {return ASSIGN;}
+"!"		        {return NOT;}
+"&"		        {return AND;}
+"|"		        {return OR;}
+"."		        {return DOT;}
+
+";"             {return SEMI_COLON;}
+":"             {return COLON;}
+","             {return COMMA;}
+"->"            {return ARROW;}
+
+"reserve"	    {return RESERVE;}
+"release" 	    {return RELEASE;}
+
+\"{SCHAR}*\"    {return C_STRING;}
+"(*"{COM}"*)"   {return COMMENT;}
+
+{ID}            {return ID;}
+
+\n              {line_number++; column_number = 1;}
+.               {column_number++;}
+
+%%
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_comments.alpha b/tests/test_comments.alpha
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..1111428
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_comments.alpha
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+(* hello *)
+(* hello *)
+(* I'd think this is a legal "string" that contains several \n \t 
+escaped characters, isn't it? *)
+(* \ *)
+(* *)
+(*{COMMENT}+ *)
+(* * *)
+(* (hello) *)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_otherpunc.alpha b/tests/test_otherpunc.alpha
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..bd1f2de
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_otherpunc.alpha
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+;
+:
+,
+->
+->>
+-->
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/tests/test_types.alpha b/tests/test_types.alpha
deleted file mode 100644
index 4fde8cd..0000000
--- a/tests/test_types.alpha
+++ /dev/null
@@ -1,10 +0,0 @@
-integer
-Integer
-address
-Address
-Boolean
-boolean
-character
-Character
-string
-String
diff --git a/tests/test_variables.alpha b/tests/test_variables.alpha
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..26db6c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/test_variables.alpha
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+valid1
+Valid2
+_valid3
+_valid_name_4
+VALID
+0Invalid
+1invalid
+"invalid
+invalid=
+String
\ No newline at end of file